Stock-car



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-#Sheet 1. E. U. BBNBDICVT.A

STQCK GAR.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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STOCK GAR.

No. 399,821. Patented Mar. 19, 1889.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

E. U. BBNBDIOT.

STOCK GAR.

No, 399,821. Patented Mar. 19, 1889.

nin In n n n nnn nnnn lliTnn STATES PATENT ritieni ELIAS U. BENEDIOT, OFAURORA, ILLINOIS.

STOCK-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,821, dated March19, 1889.

Application led November Z3, 1888. Serial No. 291.667. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, ELIAS U. l-nNnDicT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Stock-Cars, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my improvement is to provide a car for the shipment oflive stock, and especially horses, the construction of' which shallinvolve folding partitions adapted to be readily adjusted in positionsto afford stalls for the animals, and as readily folded back against theside or sides of the car to clear the latter and adapt it to be used forthe shipment of lumber, grain, or other kinds of merchandise. By myimproved construction the use of the car for transportingl live stockfrom the place of shipment to the destination does not necessitate itsuse for the same purpose on the return journey, nor that it shall bereturned empty, but permits ready adgustment of its interior into anordinary freight-car.

My invention consists in the general construction of my improvedstock-car; and it further consists in details of construction andcombinations of parts.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a transverse section of a car arrangedby means of my improved construction as a stock-car. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section of a broken portion of the saine, illustrating thepartitions in their extended and folded positions, the section beingtaken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l and viewed in the direction of thearrows. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing one of the folding partitionswith which the st alls are formed and parts connected therewith and withwhich it is connected in broken elevation. Fig. 4. is a sectional viewof a detail on the line a; and Figs. 5 and G are sectional views taken,respectively, on the line 5 and G of Fig, 3, and viewed as indicated bythe arrows.

A is a car, which may involve the construction of an ordinary box-car.The timbers r, which extend transversely across the interior of the carnear the roof, are preferably equidistant and such distance apart aswill correspond with the desired width of stall, which is formed, in themanner hereinafter described, between each adjacent pair thereof.

I form the stalls with partitions I3, which, when not required to beused for their purpose of defining the stalls, may be folded against thewall of the car. Each partition is formed, preferably, of wood, and hasprovided at its lateral edges, near opposite ends, straps q, affordingsockets p in line with the edges of the partition to receive at one ofthe said edges the opposite ends of a metal rod, o, which maybe partlycountersunk into such edge, as shown, and atthe otherof the said edges asimilar sliding rod, n, form ed at its upper end into a latch, n', andlikewise partly countersunk, if desired, into the adjacent edge of thepartition, and rendered accessible to the hand near its middle, where itis provided with a stop, n2, by forming a recess, n3, in the edge of thepartition, and the rods 0 and n,which need not be greater thanseven-eighths of an inch in diameter in the main, may be enlarged to aninch in diameter toward their opposite ends, as illustrated, where theyenter the sockets p of the straps q. Each partition should involve awidth somewhat less than that of the space between each pair of timbers0', (which is about two feet and four or five inches, or the ordinary ordesired width of a stall,) so that it will fit flatwise between themagainst a wall of the car, to enable it to be folded iii the manner andfor the purpose hereinafter described, and the length of each stallshould, by preference at least, be about afoot longer than the width ofthe partition, so as to separate at least the hind quarters of thedifferent animals in adjacent stalls and not leave sufficient spacebetween the edges of the partitions nearest the wall and the latter toenable the hind legs of the animals to enter adjacent stalls or permitthe animals to kick each other.

On one side of each timber r, and extending from near the wall of thecar, is secured a casting, C, in the form of an angle-iron openingdownward and affording a guideway for the upper end of the rod 0, whichextends into it beyond the end of the partition, an d directly below andparallel with the guideway C is a casting, D,in the form of a slottedlaterally-flanged guide to receive the lower projecting end of the rodo, and having' sockets on and m', open at their bases near its oppositeends, the casting, which corresponds substantially in length (about afoot) with the IOO casting C, being countersunk into the door of thecar, and the sockets extending through openings in the lIioor providedto receive them. Adjacent to the socket m of cach casting D, except thatnearest one end of the car and close to the wall, is a thimble, l, openat its base and extending through the car-floor; and at a distancetransversely to the car from the socket m in each casting D,corresponding with the distance longitudinally of the car at which athimble, l, is located from a socket, m, is countersunk through thecar-floor a thimble, t. Directly above each thimble t, on the timber o",in line with it, is secured a catch, t'.

The normal position of the partitions B when the car A is not arrangedfor use as a stockcar is flat against the car-wall, when the upper andlower ends of each rod o extend, respectively, into a guideway, C, and asocket, m, below such guideway, and the lower end of each rod n extendsinto a thimble, l. Vith the interior of the car thus arranged, thelatter is adapted to serve the purpose of any ordinary box-car.

'lo arrange the car for shipping stock, the rod n of each partition. israised by grasping it at the recess n3 to release its lower end from athimble, l, when the partition is swung around on the ends of the rod oto cause it to extend transversely to the car, whereupon it is raisedbodily to lift the lower end of its rod o out of a socket, m, and thendrawn forward till the lower end of the rod o enters the socket m of thecasting D, and the rod n coincides with the thimble cin' line with suchcasting. Thereupon the lower end of the rod n is caused to enter thethimble 7s and the latch n at its upper end to engage with the catch i,whereby each partition, so extended, is securely locked and forms withan adjacent partition or with the end of the car to which it is adjacenta stall, E.

To reconvert the stock-car into a box-car devoid of internalobstructions, each partition is raised to free its rods o and n' fromthimbles m and 7c, and to disengage its latch fa', when it turnedslightly to one side to cause thelatter to clear the catch ft', andmoved back in the guide-castings D and C till the rod 0 enters thesocket m, the partition being then turned on the pivot afforded by thelastnamed rod toward a thimble, Z, adjacent to an opposite partition,into which thimble the rod fn, which may have been previously raised toclear it, is introduced.

The temporary stalls may each be formed in the manner described afterthe animal to occupy it has been placed in position, or the animals maybe introduced int-o the stalls after the latter have been so formed,when they may be hitched or tied to or near the side of the car oppositethat from which the partitions extend and where a temporary or removablefeed-trough (not shown) may be provided.

While the partitions provided on only one side of the car in the mannerdescribed are shown in the actual use of my improvement to suffice, itis within the spirit of my invention to provide partitions similarlyeonstructed and operated, also, at the opposite side of the car, though,being then necessarily in two sets on opposite sides of the cardoor, thetwo sets should be arranged to fold in opposite directions with relationto the door-opening. lf the partitions be provided, as thus suggested,on each side of the car, the animals need not necessarily be hitched ortied in the stalls thereby formed.

Ventilation may be secured by means of ordinary rotary ventilators, F,near the base of a side, and by sliding doors G, for controllingopenings provided toward the upper ends of opposite sides of the car.

lVhatI claim as new, and desire to secure by lLetters Patent, is-

l. In combination with a car, A, a partition, B, pivotally supported tostand vertically in the car and disconnected from the side of the caragainst which it is to be folded, and guides extending transversely ofthe car from near one side thereof for the upper and lower edges of thepartition, whereby the partition may be turned on its pivotal support toextend parallel with and be thus folded against an inner side of thecar, and be turned from its folded position to extend in the directionof the said guides, and be slid toward the opposite inner side of thecar, and thus form a stall, E, open between the rear edge of thepartition and the adjacent carwall, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a car, A, an overhead guideway, C, a guideway, D,having' end sockets, fm and mi', and secured to the carA floor in linewith the guideway C, a thimble, Z, and a thimble, lt', in the car-floor,respect ively adjacent to the wall and in line with the guideway Dtransversely of the car, and a partition, Il, having rods o and u atopposite edges, substantially as described.

3. A convertibler stock-car comprising, in combination with a car, A,overhead trans- IOO IIO

verse timbers lr, guideways C, supported on the timbers, guideways D,having end sockets, m and m', and countersunk into the car-floor, onedirectly below each guideway C, to extend transversely from ne'ar a wallof the car, partitions B, having rods o and n at their opposite lateraledges, each rod 0 extending at its opposite ends into coincidentguideways C and D, thimbles Z, eountersunk into the cariioor adjacent tothe said wall ofthe car and located each to receive the lower end of arod, n, when the partition is folded against the side of the car, andthimbles k, countersunk into the car-floor, one in line with eachguideway D, and each. located to receive the lower end of a rod, n, whenthe partition is drawn out, to cause its rod o to enter a socket, m',substantially as described.

4. A convertible stock-car comprising, in combination with a car, A,overhead transverse timbers 0', equidistant apart, guide Ways C, securedto the tiinbers, guideways D, having end sockets, m and m, andcountersunk into tlle car-floor, one directly below each guideway C, toextend transversely from near a Wall of the car, partitions B, havingrods o and n at their opposite lateral edges, each rod o extending atits opposite ends into coincident guideways C and D,tl1i1nbles Z,countersnnk into the car-oor adjacent to the said Wall of the car andlocated each to receive the lower end of a rod, n, when the partition isfolded against the side of the car, thilnbles 7s, countersunk into thecar- ELIAS U. BEUEDICT.

In presence of- W. W. NICHOLS, J. M. lIoLT.

